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In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing
doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive
form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized.
You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if you do not
want to mention who is doing the action.
[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]
Examples:
A. Simple Present
B. Present Continuous
C. Simple Past
D. Past Continuous
A: The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store.
P: The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.
E. Present Perfect
G. Past Perfect
A: George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license.
P: Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license
H. Past Perfect Continuous
A: Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic dinners for two years before he
moved to Paris.
P: The restaurant's fantastic dinners had been being prepared by Chef Jones for two years
before he moved to Paris.
A: They are going to have completed the project before the deadline.
P: The project is going to have been completed before the deadline.
A: The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is
finished.
P: The mural will have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time
it is finished.
Q. Used to
R. Would Always